That The World May Know
by Superfan2
Summary: After 25 years of humiliation by Superman, after 25 years of attempting to kill Superman, Luthor had finally succeeded. Doing what no one thought possible. Superman is dead and Luthor escapes Metropolis with Superman's body and key items from Clark Kent's house. For Luthor the second phase of fulfilling his destiny begins. Sequel to Three Short Sentences, Three Powerful Words.
1. That The World May Know

Two weeks had passed since the unsuspecting Superman had been lured into Luthor's death-trap and succumbed, after 7 hours, to massive doses of kryptonite radiation delivered at very close range, mere inches, from the alien's body.

Luthor's escape from Metropolis had been immediate, quick and undetected.

As the alien lay dying Luthor's men had visited Clark Kent's house and taken key items. The computer, a diary, some of Clark's clothes – they would be displayed along with the costume in Lex's trophy case. Finally, 3 complete spare costumes. Belts, tights, red briefs , shirts, boots and what looked like Kryptonian versions of a "cup", just minus straps. Like the belts, one hung from each suit. Red like the boots and briefs, these items were similar to the material that made up the boots - just thinner and more flexible. The costumes were in a "secret" compartment hidden behind Clark's bedroom closet. Two small safe-like lead boxes were in the compartment beneath the costumes and next to the neatly aligned boots. The men took those too. Luthor had scoped out the house months before so his men would know where to go and what to take and be able to do it quickly.

Luthor was now settled into what would otherwise be a luxurious penthouse. Except that it was 500 feet underground. His most secure lair. The alien in all the almost 24 years they had battled had never found it. But Batman, the JL or others involved in the worldwide search for Luthor would. Eventually. He figured he had several months before he would be found and arrested.

That was part of the plan. His arrest and what they'd do to him for killing the Kryptonian would insure his ultimate goal. Immortality. He'd be the God that the alien thought he was but, as Luthor had proved, was not. God's don't die. The alien did.

In the background Luthor hears a news bulletin from CNN. After being missing for 2 weeks, the Daily Planet has confirmed that Superman was dead. No body has been found but the Planet had proof.

No mention was made of that proof by the Planet, but Luthor knew. He had sent one of Superman's complete costumes to the Daily Planet. And the kicker – wrapped in the cape was a bloody pea-soup green finger Luthor had removed from the alien's body. For good measure Luthor threw in a lock of the aliens hair. Cadmus had certainly been working to confirm the items. They had Superman's finger prints on record. The alien had donated locks of hair over the years for charity events and Cadmus had certainly analyzed the samples and would find it a match to what Luthor sent them. The suit - while the suit was totally impenetrable when worn by the alien, protected by his infamous aura, it was still an incredible fabric on its own without the aura. it could only be torn by the strongest titanium instruments. Luthor had made sure the suit he had sent was indeed made of the special fabric. He didn't know how many "authentic" suits the alien kept but all 3 from Kent's house proved real as Luthor himself tested them. As Cadmus surely had. Even though the fabric sent with the alien in the spaceship was minimal in size, it could stretch to 1000% of it's relaxed size. Explained the incredible tightness of the alien's suit when he wore it. Lycra had nothing on the Kryptonian fabric. And how Superman was able to make at least 4 costumes from the minimal amount of material. There might be more "real" suits out there. Likely in the in the Fortress. Unfortunately Luthor would not be able to break into it again. The JL had it under lock and key and would undoubtedly secret away all the contents therein. To be placed in some kind of overly grandiose, gaudy monument they were sure to build for the fallen alien.

Of course at first no one had believed Luthor's claim – that "**Superman is dead**". As a few days went by with no Superman sightings yet there still was hope it was all a hoax. Superman had gone missing for several days over the years. Presumably nursing wounds after too close an encounter with kryptonite. Heck, he'd disappeared and actually left Earth for 5 years. Superman was all-powerful, invulnerable. A near God. Nothing could permanently hurt him and certainly no one. even Luthor, was treacherous or ingenious enough to figure out a way to do that. Luthor had been failing at it for 23 years. And would for the next 23 years.

Now that the alien's death was confirmed to the world, Luthor had 2 critical tasks at hand.

First to dissect the alien. Upon arriving at the lair, the body had been immediately taken to a well equipped and sterile examining room. The costume was removed from the body. An assistant squeezed enough of the alien's sweat from the wet costume to fill a beaker. It would be analyzed later. Then the suit was placed in a lead container. This was one of the two costumes Luthor would keep in a secret location away from the lair. He wanted the actual suit the alien had died in for his eventual retrieval and display. Be that 100 years from now or 1000 years in the future. After removing the costume, Luthor did a quick examination of the alien. Still wet from the just removed and still sweat soaked costume, his body glistened under the lights. Engorged veins covered every inch of the the body surrounded by pea-soup green skin. The only oddity was the alien's scrotum. It was skin colored and not green and there were no enlarged veins. Normally Luthor would have immediately loooked into this seeming "oddity" but his mind was on other things at the moment. He assumed it a similar phenomena to that in the human male whose scrotum is outside the body and has a different, cooler temperature from the rest of the body. With that the body was sealed in a cryogenic cylinder for storage until the dissection.

In the time prior to this the body had shown no signs of decay. But Luthor didn't know the secrets of Kryptonian physiology, though he expected to know all the secrets after the dissection. For all he knew the body might decompose overnight. His men had been checking on the body every few hours. The cryo should keep it intact, but Luthor didn't dare take any chances. He's already waited two weeks. He didn't want to wait longer.

Once dissected the remains would be put into a furnace Luthor had had constructed a few months ago. Capable of 1000 degrees F. that should do the trick. Not that anyone could ever put the alien together again, but still Luthor wanted to be sure nothing remained intact. The ashes would be placed in an urn and hidden away with the 2 suits. The trophy case would be confiscated once Batman or whomever found him here. But he wanted them to be shocked by what was in the case. The remaining extra suit and the one the alien wore the day he died, the urn with the ashes and the heart – all would be safely hidden and in the future, as Luthor reached Godhead, he'd retrieve them and put them into a final display. Oh yes, Luthor would keep the heart intact. Mind over muscle and mind over emotion. A memory that the alien's "heart", his foolish belief in the goodness of every human - even Luthor - had lead to his downfall.

The second critical task - Luthor would personally dictate an account of the two years of his life and the final two years of the alien's life.

Luthor would now be the stuff of legends. The most famous human, no the most famous sentient being, in the universe, for destroying the most powerful being that ever lived.

Over the coming millenia this story would become legendary but, like all legends, it would be enhanced, changed, taken from, lose the accuracy he wanted it to have. Luthor wanted a complete, full and truthful account of the events.

**That The World May Know. **That is what he would title it.

Luthor had so much to tell. He thought of the critical moments and events of the past two years. He would go into complete detail on each. It would take a full disc to describe each key event in detail. Nothing would be left out, nothing would be left to the imagination.

_How two years ago a visit by the alien to his penthouse provided the final incentive to get serious about taking him out. Not that he hadn't been serious. It's just that he only had 3 small pieces of kryptonite. After the alien had lifted the artificial continent into space 20 years ago so much kryptonite had fallen back to Earth and into the sea that Luthor and every criminal assumed it would be easy to get hold of. Posing a threat to the alien like he'd never experienced before. But the JL, Cadmus and Superman had managed to seemingly retrieve every piece over a month's period and the alien had hurled them over time into th sun. Vaporizing them. In the last 10 years of checking fallen meteor sites around the world Luthor had not found any more kryptonite._

_How the quantum disruptor wasn't as effective as it used to be. Luthor had speculated for a while now that Superman was slowling getting stronger over time. Less vulnerable - not that he was ever very vulnerable. Even the sonic device he had used to contact, really lure, the alien to his subway lair and later to his penthouse so that he could meet his creation, Nuclear Man, was less effective. Sure it disoriented the alien but he had finally wised up and carried some sort of Kryptonian earplugs which he apparently stored in his belt buckle and which he could put in place in seconds. _

_How red solar radiation wasn't practical. Luthor had used it once on the alien. The alien weakened immediately and with his power gloves Luthor went toe to toe for 15 minutes. Punching the alien, hearing him grunt, moan, gasp and watching him stagger at Luthor's blows. The most exhilarating experience in Luthor's life. But the alien had enough power to fight back. After those 15 minutes the power source went out. Too much of a drain. The alien fully recovered and with him, if anything, more powerful now it would take a long time for red radiation to weaken him enough so that he could be killed by ordinary means. There just was no power source available that could deliver the sustained exposure needed. No hope of duplicating the red radiation Superman had tricked Zod and the others into being exposed to 22 years ago when the Zone escapees followed Superman and Lois to the Fortress. Luthor was there. Superman entered a chamber that would take away his powers only - well Zod was as stupid as he looked. The chamber had protected Superman from the red rays. After that Superman had destroyed the Fortress. Rebuilt later, it was this second Fortress Luthor had broken into. Weeks of searching within it had not revealed the red solar weapon. The alien apparently never rebuilt it. Maybe afraid that Luthor would someday get hold of it. _

_How the alien wasn't getting any older by all appearances, while Luthor was. Speculation was that he was 50 as it had been 25 years since his debut and back then it caught on that he was 25. The alien never confirmed his age not even to Lois. For all anyone knew he could be 100 or 150 years old. But the daughters of 50 year old women now ogled the alien every bit as much as their mothers had done all those years ago. The obscene mound below his belt buckle had been the topic of tabloids and TMZ since he first appeared. It still was today. How the crazed paparazzi swarmed around the alien when he landed hoping for a strong gust of wind to lift his cape high enough so they could get a shot of the "buns of steel" as they were infamously called. Crude yes, but the alien loved the attention. Luthor had to admit that, if anything, the alien's body was more defined today than it was back then. He even thought the alien might be a bit taller now. Jealousy, envy on Luthor's part? Luthor was honest with himself that indeed this was a part of the reason for his vendetta against Superman. Luthor was human and it was part of his nature. Men who were great looking and tall rose to the top in business, politics and Hollywood as did beautiful, well-endowed women. The actors who played Superman in the films and on TV shows had to be at least 6' 4" and not much over 25 if they hoped to get cast in the always coveted role. So now Luthor was 57 but looked 40 with the help of youth maintenace technology, but even at that his maximum lifespan was probably no more than 120 years. He would make sure the alien didn't outlive him._

_How it wasn't jealousy that primarily caused him to fight the alien. It was the threat the alien posed. He treated humans as his pets. Floating in instead of walking so everyone had to look up to him. That he was vain in a way no human could be was obvious from the peacock suit he flew around in. When he'd appear with winning basketball teams which might have a player or two actually taller than him, Superman would be sure to stand on a platform to guarantee he was the tallest in the photos taken. Not many noticed that, but Luthor had. _

_How the alien was a vigilante. Deciding who was right and who was wrong. He took out Syrian and Iranian nuclear development sites but ignored North Korea and Pakistan. Luthor felt Superman had made deals with certain governments to protect their not well intentioned machinations. What he got in return? That is what worried Luthor. What it might mean for humanity. _

_How, before the alien arrived, Metropolis had been the center of arts, culture and philanthropy. How the alien had brought a wave of destruction to Metropolis like it had never seen before. Every wanna be giant killer trying in vain to take on the alien with all kinds of collateral damage. The greatest art collection in the world moved out of Metropolis after it was partly damaged, irreplaceable pieces destroyed, in one of those super-fights. Philanthropy had dropped off as wealthy families left to avoid being taken hostage to draw out the alien. Metropolis was now synonomous with the flying freak. It's why Luthor had built the tallest, and arguably most beautiful, tower here. To commemorate the great city Metropolis had been. While the alien held humanity down, Luthor's 150 story headquarters offered free clinics, training programs, housing, legal assistance and much more. 50 floors were dedicated to that - to lifting humanity up. Teaching them how to fish, not just giving them a fish._

_How he plotted and planned for 6 months after that fateful rooftop meeting with the alien. How even though there were lose ends, some of which seemed insurmountable, it was time to strike. His confidence was boundless this time as he recalled a ballad written on the Fortress wallls, he'd seen it years ago when he had broken into the alien's lair during his 5 years off-planet. The walls of the Fortress were covered in Kryptonian characters but he stopped at this one inscription. Asking the AI to translate it. A ballad, eons old and written by a prophet, it was passed down over the centuries and millenia, it spoke of a "Star Child" being sent to the blue planet, how he would grow into a legend and do amazing things, how his greatest enemy would befriend him and how it would it would end after that. He had always known the Star child was Superman. He had suspected the greatest enemy was Brainiac but, with Superman having dispatched Brainiac a decade ago, that enemy must have been referring to Lex Luthor. Why else would Luthor had picked that inscription out of the hundreds on the walls?! _

_The prophecy's last verse was etched in Luthor's mind:_

**_And then the Star Child's life will end_**

_How, with the knowledge of that prophecy and what it guaranteed him, Luthor sued for peace with the JL ..._

_The end_

_**A/N: To comments about Three Short Sentences, Three Powerful Words:** _

_Guest 1: A fatal exposure to kryptonite causes Superman to age to his actual chronological Earth age. He died 23 or so years into his career. Assuming he debuted at 25 his death occured when he was 50 or so._

_Guest 2: The swollen vein "thingy" is from Smallville yes. I pull from all incarnations of Superman - TV, film and comics in the story. I actually think the swelling of the veins is more accurate than just turning green as kryptonite causes blood poisoning and that ultimately is what killed Superman. I'd like to se it incorporated as part of the comics. _

_Guest 3 and 4: I was going to end the story with just 1 chapter but I got a number of PM's asking me to do a little more so that is where this comes from._

_RandiiL: It is unclear how long it takes for kryptonite to kill Superman. In L&C Supes was in the cage for a day and lived. In STM Supes apparently would have died in an hour or so. In the Superboy series he seemingly dies fairly quickly as in hours. The comics are all over the place on this. Key in this story is the Paris museum and what Luthor got hold of to make kryptonite more lethal than ever. _

_I had planned only the one chapter but had a number of PM's asking me to expand on the story a bit. So this story. It's sort of stand-alone so I am making it a separate fic. It fills in some backstory as requested by readers. This is my first, technically second, fic and I do not write dialog well so this is why this is written as a narrative. Not as exciting as if there was dialog but I tried to throw in extra details to make up for that._

_There might, or there might not, be a cookie buried somewhere in the story. _

_Comments good or bad are very much appreciated._


	2. The Prophecy

**The Prophecy**

Even as Luthor was safely hidden away in his underground "fortress" with Superman's body and boxes of items from Clark Kent's apartment, thousands of miles to the north another Fortress sat quiet and dark. The Fortress of Solitude.

Suddenly that northern Fortress came alive. Flickering lights and humming noises breaking the eerie darkness.

From out of nowhere a small orb appeared in the main chamber. Silvery in color, it was the size of a basketball.

In English, and as if speaking to someone, the orb uttered the following:

"Registering, Kal El's heart has stopped beating."

"Not registering, Kal El's body."

Clearly the orb, or something else in the Fortress, monitored Superman in some way. Tracking at least his heartbeat and location.

This tracking was seemingly some kind of security system following Kal El at all times. Or maybe not. The mighty heart had stopped beating three days earlier when Superman had died atop the LexCorp tower. But only now had the Fortress detected this. Bringing it to life. To what end then, if it wasn't really a security system? Given that, by the time it activated the Fortress, Kal El was well beyond the point of being able to be helped.

Floating slowly to various locations in the chamber, the orb approached sets of crystals of various sizes and shapes. These crystals seemed to come alive at the approach of the orb. As if receiving instructions from the orb. Indeed, as the orb approached each area, it emitted what sounded like language. Surely Kryptonian. The crystals changed color, rose and fell and emitted high-pitched sounds in response to the orb.

After several minutes of this, the Fortress seemed like an otherworldy crystal factory doing whatever it was doing, making whatever it was making without anything but the orb orchestrating the symphony of activity.

The orb then approached a spot on the Fortress wall. Like much of the interior walls, it was covered by Kryptonian inscriptions.

Reaching it's destination, the orb shone a light on a particular set of inscriptions.

These were the inscriptions the orb had translated years ago for Luthor. At the time Superman's enemy had managed to break into the Fortress during Kal's 5 year absence from Earth. The orb was indeed the AI that Luthor had gathered information from all those years ago.

The AI scanned the inscriptions with a light, as if needing the light to read them.

Again, a human sounding voice came from the orb. Reading out loud and in English - though there was seemingly no one in the Fortress to hear what the AI was "saying".

And so these words filled the chamber:

**_The Star Child will be sent from a deathworld_**

**_To the system of the rings,_**

**_Where the child will grow to legend_**

**_As his life the prophet sings,_**

**_When the enemy wants his secret_**

**_With the Star Child he will contend,_**

**_When the day of battle is over_**

**_The enemy will befriend,_**

**_The Star Child and friend will now do great things_**

**_Until the enemy is revealed again,_**

**_And then the Star Child's life will end_**

**_When the Star Child's bo ..._**

Suddenly the voice stopped and the Fortress went quiet and dark - as it had been just a short time ago. It was as it the Fortress had "died".

**A/N: Initially I intended to limit this tale to the two parts already posted. Several have requested I continue. Still debating that - reviews motivate me to write more so please** **review - as always good or bad.**

**The prophecy is a take on one in Elliot Maggin's "Superman: Last Son of Krypton". I stumbled across his paperback a few years ago in an old paperback book bin and bought it for a dollar.**


	3. The Fortress

**The Fortress**

Just hours after the Fortress had briefly come alive, a wing-shaped device landed towards the rear of the Fortress. Away from the main-entrance.

Quickly a cowled figure emerged. Batman had finally arrived after desperate efforts on his part and the rest of the League to locate Luthor.

Batman had been confused at first that none of Superman's defense mechanisms had activated. They should have. The Fortress constantly monitored Superman's position and his vital signs. Even before Kal's heart stopped beating as he lay dying in Luthor's death-chamber, it would have gone into an erratic beat as the kryptonite poisoned it. The Fortress should have picked that up.

Unfortunately, Batman had discovered the reason why the Fortress had not registered Superman's distress. Luthor's plan had been perfect and he had accounted for Superman's defense systems. Indeed, the unsuspecting Superman had revealed the monitoring to Luthor a few months back. As Kal had become totally convinced that Luthor had reformed.

So Luthor knew and took measures to neutralize Superman's backups - all of them.

First off, the androids had to be dealt with. Not in the sense of not having them activate - that was the easy part. No Luthor needed to develop a sensor system which could differentiate Superman from one of his androids. It wouldn't do Luthor any good if he lured an android to LexCorp and "killed" it. Leaving Superman alive and wise to his plotting.

So Luthor, over several months and on occasions when Superman was known to be off-planet, had staged emergencies at LexCorp that drew an android to protect Luthor. He had set up a monitoring device at the penthouse doors so he could measure the EMR's given off by the android versus those given off by the "real" Superman. They were close and at first Luthor's monitoring system couldn't detect the difference. But a few adjustments and few more trials and he had a foolproof way to distinguish the live Krytptonian from one of his drones. Another nail in Superman's coffin.

The bigger problem was how to neutralize the Fortress monitoring devices. Batman had found a small drone at Clark's apartment. 'Built by LexCorp' etched in small letters at the base. It basically gave off a pseudo heartbeat, positional quadrants and body temperature. Analysis showed they all matched that of Superman. Batman realized that during those times Superman often visited LexTowers, unknown to Kal, Lex was measuring his body signature. The purpose? To create a drone that would fly around in a normal Superman pattern even as Superman lay dying from Luthor's massive kryptonite irradiation. The Fortress defenses would be none the wiser and not activate.

Batman manually brought the Fortress computer back on line. He did a search on "Superman status" from 3 days ago. The day Superman had been lured to LexTowers and to his death. Always early for an appointment, the tracking system showed Superman arrive at 4:50PM at LexTowers for dinner with Luthor. It even registered him entering Luthor's penthouse and then, about 20 minutes later, Superman seemingly left the penthouse and LexTowers. The tracking showed him completing a routine patrol of Metropolis for an hour or so before trailing off to Clark's apartment where it settled. As if Clark had gone to sleep.

Problem was, however, Superman never left the penthouse - alive anyway. Luthor had apparently activated the drone to make it look like everything was normal. Superman on patrol and then home for the night.

Bruce reset the Superman monitoring device over-riding an apparent bug in the software. No pulse, no identified location was the response. The Fortress came alive again. Gearing up to help a man who was now beyond help. Earlier Bruce, upon discovering Luthor's drone, had apparently damaged it. It registered no pulse but also no body coordinates. Whether a bug in the system or more likely a Trojan put there by Luthor, the Fortress defense was not set to respond to this combination. It was why the Fortress came alive briefly but then went silent again. Now that was fixed and Bruce prepared to address the Superman androids and use them in the search for Luthor and Superman's remains.

Just then Bruce pulled a small yellow clip from the side of his belt. He'd found it on the floor of Luthor's death-chamber. It was a trigger which had been inside Superman's belt buckle - an emergency device Bruce had given Clark to use as a signal anytime he was in trouble and needed help. Clearly, initially at least when first trapped in the chamber, Superman had been strong enough to try to use the signal device. Expecting Batman to come to his aid. As Batman didn't show and he grew weaker, Superman apparently pulled desperately at the signal device to the point of ripping it loose from inside his buckle.

A tear came to Bruce's eye as he imagined Superman's horror as the kryptonite devastated him and yet no answer came from Batman. Unknown to Superman and discovered just yesterday by Bruce, Luthor had cloaked the top of the penthouse in a nulling device. No noise of any kind, no signal, no scream for help escaped the death chamber.

Luthor has thought of everything. He had created the most foolproof assassination plan in human history.

"Damn you Luthor - you devil. I will see to it that you don't get away with this if it's the last thing I do", Bruce said out loud as he wiped away another tear.

**A/N: Per the comments I try to incorporate from all incarnations in my Superman fics. This is the businessman Lex a la Lois and Clark. Some of the lines come from Superman #149. Best death of Superman story ever. Bruce and Clark are basically brothers after all these years - this story takes place decades into Superman's career.**

**Please, please leave a review. Even if it is a short shot out. Criticize, praise. Makes no never mind. The reviews are what give me the impetus to write more.**


	4. Luthor Watches From Afar

**Luthor's Watches From Afar**

Luthor was interrupted in his musings by the alarm indicating activity near The Fortress. Not surprisingly, his cameras showed that Batman had landed near the Fortress and was inside. Unknown to Batman, every move he made in and near the Fortress was being watched by Superman's killer.

As expected Batman had reactivated the computer system in the Fortress and fixed one of the "bugs" Luthor has introduced into the Fortress defense mechanisms. He clearly had found the "Superman-mimic" drone Luthor had sent out from his penthouse shortly after Superman made his fateful entrance to the penthouse.

The Fortress defense system was alive now which meant the 12 androids would be activated and sent searching for Luthor and Superman's body. Superman's scientific knowledge had been great and, aided by the Fortress computers, he had developed extremely sophisticated androids. Normally, sent out to find Luthor, the task would have taken the droids a few days at most. That was Batman's expectation as Luthor heard him give directions to the droids to supplement the directions being given by the Fortress computers. Batman had contacted the Watchtower while in the Fortress and Luthor heard it all. Informed that the droids were up and working, Batman ordered the JL to intensify their search. He boastfully told them we will have Luthor in a matter of days and then we can bring Superman home to his final resting place.

Unknown to Batman however, Luthor had planted "bugs" in the droids directional mechanisms. Batman and the Fortress would send them on a mission to cover the four corners of the Earth but that would be overridden by Luthor's own directions.

The droids would all fly to the Kyber Pass. The "Notch" crevice in particular. There Luthor had installed a dozen quantum-disruptors. The most powerful weapon on earth. Strong enough to disable even Superman for prolonged periods. The droids would be even more susceptible to the devices. 3 direct hits would destroy a droid and Luthor has set the timing /pulse mechanism to deliver double that number of hits to each droid.

End result, on its own and without the androids' help, it would take the JL at least another month to find Luthor's lair.

An intercom device suddenly came alive - "It's Alexi" the voice on the other end says.

"Perfect timing" replies Luthor. "As expected Batman is in the Fortress as we speak. He will leave shortly. I want you and the others there tomorrow. You know the drill. The gold kryptonite in the safe, a download of the computer's memories and the 12 Kryptonian knowledge crystals. Do it quickly. I have disabled the internal monitoring systems of the Fortress so no alarms will go off to notify Batman or the JL that someone is inside. Once you get the items to me and I am sure they are what I need, we will activate the nuclear device buried under the Fortress and destroy for all time that vainglorious monument the alien built to himself.

After the conversation had ended a knock on the door and Professor Hamilton entered. "Problem Professor?" asked Luthor.

"Not exactly" stated the professor. He went on - "the cryo unit we immersed Superman's body in apparently had a loss of power 36 hours ago. It's been fixed. The good news, no body deterioration whatsoever. The body is glowing as bright green as before, the veins remain engorged over all of the body, the aging apparent on his immediate death has not progressed and the scrotal anomaly remains."

"So either Kryptonians deteriorate more slowly once dead or maybe their bodies remain intact. Look at him - he's a grotesque alien. Who knows what happens. But I will take no chances. He is dead but Alexi is bringing me a very special form of kryptonite I want to expose him to. Even in death. And of course with the autopsy we will slice and dice him into a hundred pieces so no one will ever be able to put him together again."

"Is the kryptonite disc still in place over the alien's heart?" Luthor asked.

"Yes, do you want us to remove it?" replied Hamilton.

"No, but encase the alien's scrotum in lead. Make sure no radiation is getting through to his jewels."

"Done." replied Hamilton.

After Hamilton left, Luthor poured himself a cognac. His plans were working perfectly. Mind over muscle - just as he had told Superman 20 years ago 150 feet under the streets of Metropolis.

Speaking of mind, Luthor thought to himself, the scrotal anomaly could be nothing or it could mean Luthor might have a way to create descendants of Superman. Descendants Superman had told Luthor he didn't have, couldn't have. He and Lois were incapable of having children though they had tried. But what the anomaly meant would have to wait until the dissection. The irony of Luthor creating Superman's son or daughter when the alien couldn't do so himself and creating that child long after the alien had died did not escape him. Or what he could turn that child into. Luthor - the father the alien never could be. The thought delighted Luthor and reaffirmed his plan to, even though the alien was dead, continue to humiliate Superman for all time.

For now though Luthor sipped the cognac and took in a boundless joy that he had never before felt in his life.

**Please, please leave a review. Even if it is a short shot out. Criticize, praise. Makes no never mind. The reviews are what give me the impetus to write more.**


	5. The Fortress Falls And Too The Knight

**The Fortress Falls And Too The Knight**

Luthor waited 24 hours after Batman's intrusion at the Fortress to initiate the next phase of his plan.

Satisfied he had all the information needed from the Fortress to recreate Kryptonian technology, Luthor's next step was to make sure no one else ever had access to that information. Luthor had set this plan in motion months before he had killed the alien. During his "truce" with Superman, the alien had become increasingly at ease and off guard around Luthor. Luthor had used that opportunity to get a nano-tech based homing device sealed to the sole of Superman's right boot.

Luthor chuckled to himself at the gullibility of the alien. He truly was a fool. Luthor had made sure a while back that just before Superman was to visit him at the penthouse he "broke" a large vase and scattered the glass at the threshold of the French Doors Superman would have to cross through to get to Luthor's office. Ever the Boy Scout, the alien, on seeing the broken glass, had offered to suck it up and clean the entryway. Luthor said no - he'd take care of it. So those famous red boots walked over glass laced with several tiny nano-devices designed to seal to the boots if Superman stepped on one of them - which he did.

The nano device emitted a very low-frequency tracking signal Superman couldn't detect. Luthor had discovered over the years that, just as Superman's hearing was extremely sensitive to very high frequency sounds - like the one he used to lure Superman to their first confrontation in the subway decades ago - his hearing was limited when the frequencies were very low. He couldn't detect them. Kind of like his vision had a limitation when it came to lead. So for months before the fateful day Luthor had tracked Superman's every move and no one, specifically Superman, was the wiser.

The tracker's primary purpose was to locate the alien's Fortress in the Arctic. It was known to be there, but the "new" Fortress had remained undetected even to Luthor. The original Fortress Luthor had discovered during Superman's 5 years off-planet, but Superman had destroyed it after his confrontation with Luthor shortly after his return to Earth. Building a new one even more remote and hidden.

Luthor's device allowed him to determine not only the location of the new Fortress, but that Superman went there regularly. Once a week it seemed - Luthor assumed it was a hubris thing. The alien admiring the statues and depictions of himself that garishly filled the Fortress. The alien was so self-absorbed he not only had to create artwork portraying himself, but he had to visit that artwork often. A pathetic act by a totally self-absorbed individual who saw himself a God to humanity.

Fortunately for Luthor the new Fortress turned out to be within a hundred miles of a huge oil find that the Canadian government was exploring. That exploration included setting off large explosive devices. The result was that the whole area, even to the Fortress, was registering "tremors". A perfect mask for Luthor's team which would go to the Fortress, burrow deep underneath, and place a thermal-nuclear device directly under the Fortress. Once triggered, all Kryptonian technology within the Fortress would be destroyed and, almost as pleasing to Luthor, the statues and artwork Superman had had created to honor himself would be vaporized. Gone forever.

A knock on the door. "James - I see you made it back. Any problems?" Luthor asked.

"Yes," James replied, "the Batarang has landed again outside the Fortress. Batman is back."

"Lord, you give them eyes but they can't see." Luthor retorted. "You see a problem, James, but I see an unexpected opportunity. Think man - we set the device off when Batman is in the Fortress. Killing him and effectively decapitating the JL. Batman was the brains behind the JL and the alien was the brawn. With both gone the JL will be in disarray and it will take them even longer to discover this lair."

"That's not the problem. At the Daily Planet yesterday Lois told me she was going with Batman to some unknown location. Batman is in the Fortress, but so is Lois." James said with definite concern in his voice.

"Ah, James. When you gave me proof Superman was secretly Clark Kent you stepped over a line you knew you could not step back from. I love Lois, I really do, but in time she might have proved to be a problem. Collateral damage is what they call it, James, and your reward remains - eternal life and youth. That was the deal."

"Let me know when both are in the Fortress. I want to personally destroy the alien's home the moment that is confirmed." snapped Luthor.

Ten minutes later James returned, "It is time, Batman and Lois are in the Fortress."

"Excellent!" Luthor shouted. With that Luthor triggered the nuclear device. The Fortress was destroyed for all time never to be rebuilt and the alien's close friend Batman and his sometimes lover Lois were gone too.

Luthor's joy was almost as boundless as it had been when he had confirmed that the alien was dead.

Monitoring world news reports, Luthor was amused at the coverage. A massive explosion was reported in the Arctic. The government suspected North Korea or a terrorist group set it off as a demonstration to the West of what they could do. Ironically, no one was wise to the truth which meant no one would ever sift through the area. Even if they did, the device was so strong nothing remained to indicate it was ever Superman's Fortress.

James shed a small tear but the thought, the promise of eternal life quickly washed away whatever remorse he felt.

James hated the perfection of the dead alien and that the alien had lied to him for years. No true friend would have done that. James's rage against the alien had built for a long time after discovering the lie. It focused on the alien's perfect features, a body that didn't age and put Adonis to shame. And the lying alien thought he was a God to boot and would live forever. Only James had helped insure that didn't happen. James would now have that perfect body, eternal youth and eternal life. And the knowledge that he had helped bring down Superman and prove to the world that the alien was not a God.

And so, the Fortress had fallen as another phase of Luthor's plans came to a successful conclusion.

**Please, please leave a review. Even if it is a short shot out. Criticize, praise. Makes no never mind. The reviews are what give me the impetus to write more**


	6. Superman Indeed!

**Superman Indeed!**

Luthor entered the examination room where Dr. Hamilton was waiting.

The large room looked like the typical high-security research laboratory. Stainless steel walls, high ceiling. Two metal examining tables in the center of the room. A bank of monitors attached to the examining tables and various devices suspended from the ceiling above the tables. The room was brightly lit and video cameras were strategically positioned throughout so as to record everything that went on in the room.

Along one wall several desks with chairs - computer-like devices and more monitors on top of the desks.

A large screen at one end of the room displayed what presumably was an x-ray of Superman's body. Rib bones, femurs and everything you'd expect in a full body x-ray of a human. Next to it a smallish hospital-like monitor hummed - 3 "flat-lines" displayed across the face of the monitor.

In the far corner what looked like an elevated tub was actually a cryo-chamber. Superman's body was kept there in cold storage to prevent any decay. Dr. Hamilton wasn't certain how quickly a Kryptonian body decays. He assumed, without natural sunlight, it would be rapid. But Superman's body looked as it had when brought to the facility days ago - even though the cryo-unit had malfunctioned and gone offline for 24 hours. Those 24 hours at room temperature hadn't caused any decay to set in.

Dr. Hamilton had placed the body on the examining table nearest the door. The costume had long since been stripped away though, for modesty's sake and showing his mid-West origins, Hamilton had thrown a white towel over Superman's genital area. Besides that, 5 large metal discs remained attached to the body - over the heart, at the temples and on the inner side of both ankles. Life detection devices Luthor had put in place immediately after Luthor had managed to subdue the struggling alien and strap him to a table in the center of the "death chamber" room Luthor had constructed adjacent to his rooftop penthouse. Lex insisted the devices remain in place, just in case, and despite the fact that Dr. Hamilton had assured Luthor that Superman was dead and would never rise again. This was no Doomsday situation.

Luthor walked over to the examining table and unceremoniously pulled the towel from Superman's midsection and tossed it on the floor.

Turning he said, "Really Hamilton, we are suddenly making deference to standards of modesty and innocence?! After what you helped me do to him you are anything but innocent. Feigning a lingering innocence may ease your conscious, but it absolves you of nothing!"

Luthor turned back to the table and took it all in - strolling around Superman's body, viewing it from every angle. He didn't say a word, his face was expressionless. The body was a pea-soup green and gave off a bright green glow. It was radiating kryptonite. Engorged veins covered every inch of the body, distorting the once perfectly chiseled face and partly obstructing the Herculean-like musculature. Still the pectorals, delts, calf and abdominal muscles were clearly there and massive. Even in death the alien's body was impressive.

On closer inspection Luthor noted the deep creases from the alien's nose to the corners of his mouth. Crows feet like lines jutted out from the corners of the alien's closed eyes. The famously jet-black hair was now streaked with gray and the alien appeared to be 50 based on how humans look at 50. The ageing was a surprise by-product of the kryptonite poisoning that Luthor had not anticipated.

Luthor inspected the scrotal anomaly. That was the purpose of this visit to the examining room. The alien's scrotum seemed to remain unaffected by the massive doses of kryptonite radiation Superman had been exposed to. It had a natural flesh color, no hint of green, no engorged blood vessels. It meant something and Luthor would find out what that was.

Finally, Luthor bent over and spoke to the motionless form.

"Can you hear their cries for help Superman? Can you see the plane about to fall from the sky Superman? Can you feel the tremors from the earthquake about to strike Superman? The people are crying out for you to save them Superman, but you can't do a thing! You couldn't even save yourself! You were a fool Superman to trust me and they, humanity, were fools to trust that you would always be there to save them. They believed you were a God Superman, but now they know - you were just flesh and blood like the rest of us!"

A knock at the door. Dr. Hamilton opens it and allows James to enter. Luthor had promised James he could watch the touching moment about to take place.

Luthor turned to Hamilton and James and indicated it was time.

Luthor took a scalpel from a door beneath the examining table. He double checked to see that the video monitors that were to capture what he was about to do were all working.

Then he bent over Superman's mid-section and, with a quick, sharp cut, removed the alien's scrotum. Quickly handing it to Dr. Hamilton who placed it in a lead container.

Luthor ordered Hamilton to take the organ to the UV room that had been set up for this specific purpose. The small room was lead-lined so none of the kryptonite radiating from Superman's body could penetrate it. The room would be filled with UV radiation in the hopes of finding some of Superman's sperm alive and viable - and keeping it that way.

Once Hamilton had left the room, Luthor turned to James and said: "I think this calls for a toast!"

James agreed and Lex poured a drink for himself and James.

James offered a toast to Luthor. "Even in his death you were able to deliver a final humiliating coup de grâce to Superman - Superman indeed!" James mocked in a double entendre.

James took a sip of the wine. In minutes he started to feel sick. He told Luthor he was having a hard time breathing, That the excitement of the moment must be getting to him.

Luthor coldly replied, "I think not James. You are feeling the first effects of a poison laced in your drink."

James dropped to one knee, gasping for air.

Perplexed, he looked up at Luthor, "Why?!...gasp...we were friends - I gave you Superman!"

"You turned your best friend over to me, his worst enemy, because of one lie. Something he kept from you for years for your own protection. I'm afraid I've already told you more than one lie, James. If you found out who would you betray me to? You are many things, James, but two things you are not is trustworthy or anybody's friend." Luthor replied.

With that James collapsed to the floor and went motionless. Luthor approached and felt for a pulse. There was none. Luthor called security and, when they arrived, gave them their orders. "Dispose of Mr. Olsen's body."

Luthor then called Dr. Hamilton and ordered a full report/analysis of the scrotal tissue and sperm within 24 hours**. **

With that Luthor pulled up a chair near the table where Superman lay. He stepped over to the body and removed the 5 life-detection devices, thinking to himself, "Hamilton is right, he is dead and nothing can bring him back now." As the discs were removed, the wall monitor went silent and dark.

Luthor then sat down, lit a cigar and sipped his wine - all the while relishing the sight before him.

**Next chapter: A Dying Race - the good doctor discovers some interesting things about Kryptonians.**

**Please, please leave a review. Even if it is a short shot out. Criticize, praise. Makes no never mind. The reviews are what give me the impetus to write more**


	7. A Dying Race

**A Dying Race**

Luthor hadn't slept well all night - he was anxious to get Dr. Hamilton's report on Superman's tissue and sperm. The endless possibilities played out over and over in his mind all night long.

Finally, the call came from Hamilton. He had completed his initial analysis. Luthor rushed to Hamilton's lab anticipating some incredible information. He would not be disappointed.

Immediately, upon entering the lab, Luthor barked out, "What do you have for me?"

Hamilton replied, "The sperm is fully alive and viable as is the scrotal tissue. It survived the massive kryptonite irradiation because of a unique property of the scrotum. An outer layer of tissue. Think of it as the outermost layer of a human's skin. That layer had a very special characteristic. It's density - let's just say the closest thing I'd compare it to is lead. The tissue is flexible and thin, but provided an effective "lead" shield protecting the sperm from radiation damage of any sort."

Luthor raised a question "Is this something Superman's body developed over the years in response to his many encounters with kryptonite - especially earlier in his career? Does it relate to his increasing immunity to kryptonite in recent years?"

"Its hard to say if this adaption was unique to him here on Earth or if something similar was happening to Krypton's males over time. But it might indeed explain the limited, but growing immunity Superman seemed to be showing to kryptonite in recent years. We'll look for a similar outer layer of tissue on Superman's skin during his dissection. Clearly, however, if we find anything it would be a more primitive, a less effective version of it. It might have provided some protection, but clearly not enough to withstand the barrage of kryptonite radiation, magnified to a thousand times its normal intensity, that you exposed him to."

"So killing him sooner rather than later was critical?! Another 10 or 20 years and this tissue could have fully developed across his whole body? Making him immune to kryptonite and essentially immortal?"

"Possible, but not a given." replied Hamilton.

"About the sperm, it ..." Hamilton started to say before being interrupted by Luthor.

"There isn't a problem, is there?"

"Not really." replied Hamilton. "Its more an issue of quantity or amount. A normal human male has millions of sperm per millilitre, Superman had 62 sperm - all told."

"The radiation poisoning did that?" Luthor asked.

"No, his scrotum and its contents were totally protected from the radiation. It has to do with Kryptonian males. They are, were, almost infertile."

Luthor laughed.

"You've got to be kidding! After all these years, when so many were afraid Superman would impregnate an Earth woman and corrupt the human gene pool, and you are saying the chances were slim to none!"

"More like none, I would say. By human standards Superman was sterile." Hamilton replied.

The irony of it all did not escape Luthor.

"So Hamilton, Superman was never a 'superman' when it came to his supposed super virility?! That explains a lot. His need for the skin-tight costume to show off his equipment - it was done out of an inferiority complex on his part about his manhood. It all makes sense now." Luthor laughed like he hadn't in a long time.

"I suppose so." replied Hamilton. "Kryptonian male reproductive organs are significantly larger than those of the human male, as was obvious every time Superman made an appearance. Yet, he was essentially sterile. Add to that the fact he chose to go about in a totally revealing costume, something no other meta-human does, and it signaled a problem. I am not a psychologist but, yes, I'd say it stemmed from an inferiority complex about his sexual prowess and manhood. His inability to carry on the House of El."

Hamilton went on, "I can tell you that, on several occasions, I tried to broach the subject about his suit not being appropriate to his 'Boy Scout' image, and especially when he appeared before youth groups and young schoolchildren. He'd always reply by saying only Batman and I had a problem with the suit and that he didn't see it."

Hamilton continued, "And then a few years back he drops the red trunks and it only makes it worse. So, yes, Superman had psychological issues that seemed to be increasing as he got older. He had vowed to never kill again, after he killed Zod - or thought he had killed him - but in the past several months he killed three villains outright."

Luthor jumped in, "Not to defend Superman's actions, but those three were holding women and children hostage - threatening to kill them all. Superman made the same decision I would have - that they didn't deserve to live, and so he killed them on the spot."

Hamilton countered, "Still, that marked a major change in Superman's behavior. He denied the killings and I wanted to believe him. But, after Sawyer's investigation, what could I do? Sawyer was a good friend and many objected to her leading the investigation thinking she would whitewash everything. Her famous integrity proved out though, and she concluded Superman had killed and lied about it. Something was happening in him that may have stemmed in part from issues about his virility. Obviously, he didn't care that his suit made him look like an exhibitionist. Which, knowing what we know now, he probably was. Again, Luthor, I am not a psychologist, but that would be my diagnosis."

"So, potentially, Superman was a ticking time-bomb? Set to go off God knows when?" Luthor asked.

"Don't put words in my mouth, Luthor. Superman had seen so much death and destruction in his 30 year career, its to be expected he would be affected psychologically. He was after all, as you proved, not a God. But I don't believe he would have ever become a threat to humanity. I only developed the radiation magnifying technology for you as you would have killed my daughters and their children if I hadn't."

"Whatever eases you conscious, Hamilton." Luthor smirked.

"There is more Luthor." Hamilton continued, "Based on the records we retrieved from the Fortress, a stark picture emerges which is confirmed by Superman's low sperm count. The records indicate that on Krypton most births were done through artificial means. Take egg and sperm from female and male and place the externally fertilized egg in a "birthing matrix". Kryptonians were almost always gestated in a lab. An actual mother-delivered live birth was increasingly rare - maybe one in a million given Superman's sperm count. Superman, or Kal-El as they called him, was one of those very rare live-births. Its why the baby Kal held such a special place on Krypton before it exploded."

Hamilton went on, "Krypton's population had been declining for a thousand years. That decline was accelerating as Kryptonian birth rates had slipped below replacement levels. Despite all its efforts, Kryptonian science couldn't come up with a solution."

"But," Luthor interjected, "the primary purpose of any living thing is to propagate the species - it's innate. What was going on with Kryptonians?"

"Well, and they seemed to have missed this, the kryptonite core of the planet had changed somehow. The radiation becoming more destructive, and more of it seemed to be escaping the core of the planet after many centuries of severe earthquakes and volcanic activity."

"But," Luthor replied, "under a red sun kryptonite doesn't affect Kryptonians. Only under a yellow sun, as I discovered when I lured him to that subway station and was able to totally disable him with a small, fist-sized piece of the meteor."

"No, kryptonite is not lethal under a red sun, but it is still destructive and, in particular, destructive of the male reproductive system. When you go to the dentist and get an x-ray they put a lead shield on your lap. To protect your reproductive system from damage. It's the same idea with Kryptonian males."

"So much for the vaunted scientific genius of Kryptonians!" Luthor mocked. "They couldn't even figure out what was making their men sterile?!"

"Pride goeth before the fall Luthor." Hamilton shot back. "Even as we speak the London conference on sharply declining male fertility rates in developed countries is underway. Our scientists have no more of an idea as to what is causing it than did Kryptonians scientists know what was causing their problem. In fact, the interesting thing is the parallel between the two situations. It may be one more piece in a puzzle that points to a common ancestry between humans and Kryptonians. Superman's dissection may yield more pieces of that puzzle."

Hamilton added, "Back to Kryptonians, over the centuries this was going on, Kryptonian male reproductive organs increased in size as an evolutionary response to the constant background radiation. This slowed the fall-off in sperm counts, but did not stop it."

"And your conclusion, Dr. Hamilton?"

"Kryptonians were a dying race."

"So, by killing Superman, I not only destroyed the mightiest man in the universe, I ended the Kryptonian race. What a glorious achievement!" Luthor boasted.

Hamilton replied, "I said a dying race, not a dead race. Even with Superman dead, the odds are a few other Kryptonians are out there in the universe somewhere. Zod for one. Superman supposedly strangled him to death years ago and we know how that turned out. Remember, it was you who delivered Zod to Superman's Fortress a few years later after Zod's 'death'. Only to have Superman outsmart all of you."

"I don't need a history lesson, Hamilton." Luthor shot back, disdain in his voice.

"I'm just saying that now is not the time to let your guard down. You worked hard to get Superman to lower his guard, and then you struck like a viper at his Achilles's heel and destroyed him. Superman may be dead, but there are other Kryptonians out there who can't be pleased that you, a mere human, ended the line of the Royal House of El. To ignore that possibility is to be as foolish as Superman was in trusting you. There may be forces even now gathering against you." Hamilton said.

"Some closer than you may think." Hamilton thought to himself as he turned away from Luthor.

**Next chapter" Eternal youth, but not forever? Dr. Hamilton has good and bad news for Luthor.**

**Comments/reviews, good or bad, welcome and encouraged.**


	8. Eternal Youth But Not Forever

**Eternal Youth, But Not Forever**

It took Hamilton 2 days to do a complete analysis of Superman's sperm and scrotal tissue. Well, as complete as it could be given Luthor's tight timeframe for a full report.

Hamilton didn't know the specific things Luthor was looking for, the answers he wanted - but he had a good idea. Cloning was the obvious, but more exotic possibilities presented themselves. Fertilizing a human female egg with Superman's sperm, creating a "super-juice" from the sperm - something Luthor could inject himself with and gain invulnerability, powers, youth - God knows what.

Luthor arrived at the lab 10 minutes early and demanded his full report - nothing left out. And so Hamilton began.

"First off, Luthor, I used 12 of the sperm to get the information I have so far. Those sperm are now compromised - basically lost genetic material. Given what I will tell you, I suspect you will want me to use the remaining sperm in very limited amounts for experimentation."

"The information you have so far!" Luthor protested. "You were supposed to give me a full report! You know what I do to employees who disappoint me - or to their families. Let what happened to Dr. Cavill at CADMUS serve as a warning to you Hamilton!"

Calmly Hamilton replied, "Do you want this done right or not!? For instance, take the possibility of fertilizing a human female egg with one of Superman's sperm. That thought has surely crossed your mind."

Luthor replied with a terse "Yes."

"Before we try that, I need to confirm his DNA match. Some members of the ape family have a 95% match with humans, but its impossible to fertilize a human female egg with sperm from an ape. Dr. Stacy Haiduk did the definitive research on this and determined that a 98% plus match is the minimum for success. I can't determine the prospects for cross species fertilization between humans and Kryptonians until I've dissected Superman, analyzed his organs and determined his genetic match with humans. And yes, at this point I don't have all the answers, and I'm not one to make things up to please a client."

"Exactly what answers do you have, Hamilton?" Luthor demanded.

"For starters, successful cloning of Superman seems - given the previous failed attempts - within reach now. The reason being that his sperm provides a complete, intact and uncompromised source of DNA. You used a hair sample years ago to create Nuclear Man. An imperfect clone that needed continuous solar radiation exposure to function. Put him in the shade and its like you pulled the plug - he went dormant. Unlike Superman whose cells stored solar radiation in a way that allowed him to function for very extended periods in complete darkness."

"Yes, and a clone theoretically looks exactly like the host organism from which the cloning took place. Nuclear Man looked nothing like the alien." Luthor said.

"True - an imperfect cloning process. It was even worse with your first attempts. You collected samples of Superman's blood after his fight with Zod and used it to clone Bizarro. Not only did he not look like Superman, he didn't look human at all. And he was unstable - literally imploding several weeks after his creation. How many Bizarros did you attempt anyway?" Hamilton asked.

"Sixteen over 2 years. We tried to improve the process, but the result always was the same." Luthor replied.

Hamilton went on, "The reason for the failures was that you used tissue from Superman taken after he'd been severely weakened, either after an extraordinary depletion of his stored energy reserves as in the fight with Zod, or from recent exposure to kryptonite. With kryptonite there was always subtle cellular damage that remained even after the exposure ended. But, as with humans, Superman's body totally replaced it cells every so often. The new cells were not damaged - until another kryptonite exposure. But they too would then be replaced."

"Its why the years of kryptonite exposure didn't build up to a lethal level in his body and ultimately kill him?" Luthor asked.

"Exactly. That had been my fear and we discussed it early on. That his body could take only so many rads of kryptonite radiation before it was fatally poisoned. I was worried he'd eventually develop a cancer from repeated exposures to kryptonite. Like humans can only take so much exposure to x-rays before there is permanent and sometimes fatal damage. But Superman's body totally recovered from each kryptonite exposure, as if it had never been exposed to the radiation, and eventually his body began to build up an immunity to the radiation." Hamilton said.

"So, with a clone made from a sperm cell we get what?" Luthor asked.

"From that perfect sperm cell never exposed to radiation we get, in my professional opinion, a perfect replica of Superman as he was when he first appeared in Metropolis 30 years ago."

"Except that his mind will be a blank slate?" Luthor asked.

"Yes, like a newborn baby. You will be able to paint the initial brush-strokes on the canvas of its mind but, as you learned with Nuclear Man, what the final picture becomes on that canvass is something you can't totally control. The clone's mind will eventually take on a self-identity of its own. Long term total control of the clone's mind by you would be unlikely."

"Yes," Luthor said, "and with your scientific knowledge you will help me develop a Doomsday device to control the clone in a different way - and kill it if necessary."

"As in try to recreate Doomsday?" a surprised Hamilton asked.

"I'm thinking of something more elegant. An implant which you will place in the clone. A lead lined device I can control - lowering the lead shielding partially if the clone is giving me problems. Pain or, more accurately, fear of pain is an excellent method for controlling people. Of course, in the event the clone went off the deep end and tried to get at me, the device would allow for total lowering of the lead shield and, with the device implanted near the clone's heart, it would be dead in minutes."

"That is quite doable." Hamilton replied.

"My own super-soldier." Luthor said with pride. "And, if an idea I have is practical, totally invulnerable to any external weapon or radiation - including kryptonite."

"I think I've anticipated your idea." Hamilton said. "The outer lining on Superman's scrotal tissue - if it can be duplicated and the clone's body covered with it then this super-soldier, as you call him, would be unstoppable. It could survive even the massive kryptonite exposure that killed Superman."

Hamilton went on, "Now to the most interesting finding. I made a serum from the sperm and placed it within some of the test organisms. At different stages of their life cycle. The cells didn't become impervious to penetration or destruction. Not such good news if you were hoping Superman's juice would make you invulnerable and allow you to fly."

"I bet you love that, Hamilton!" Luthor said with disdain.

"I'm just reporting this out to you Luthor. The findings are what they are and there is indeed an exciting finding!"

"Please go on Hamilton." Luthor encouraged.

"The older organisms, within seconds of being injected, returned to their young stage. Not as they look when first splitting and becoming a separate organism, but as they look upon reaching maturity. For a human it means not becoming a baby again, but reverting back to the point of physical maturity which would be 21 years or so. Interestingly, until his death, Superman never aged past what appeared to be his early twenties."

"So," Luthor said, "eternal youth?"

"Well, not quite. The organisms started aging again at their normal rate after several hours. Translated to human terms, it looks like this super-juice, injected into a human, would return that human to their early 20s and they would stay that way for about 1 and 1/2 years."

"Then?" Luthor asked.

"Normal aging."

"So eternal youth, but not forever?" Luthor quipped.

"Exactly, and this is why limiting experimentation on the sperm is key. Multiple injections will return a human to their youthful state. With 30 sperm that means a person would be physically 21 for 45 years and then age normally. We are looking at living for another 100 years for you or me from our current ages."

"Of course, if we can clone him..." Luthor started.

"Yes," Hamilton interrupted, "the clone would presumably provide more sperm. The potential for an endless supply is there. This is why cloning Superman would logically be the top priority now. And, if successful, that first clone would not serve as your super-soldier, but as a sperm source."

"Yes. If we can clone one version of the alien, we can clone a second. I agree Hamilton, the first clone will be harvested for sperm and, the mind boggles at the possibilities, other unique things. The second clone will serve as the super-soldier." an excited Luthor said. Going on, Luthor asked, "And how do you propose we control this harvesting clone?"

"I'd recommend putting it in stasis the minute it reaches maturity. Essentially a deep freeze as we are doing with Superman's body. This is the more humane way - the clone theoretically will have no self-awareness."

"I'm not interested in the more humane way, Hamilton! But it is the more practical way - your suggestion of permanently freezing the clone means it will never develop a mind of its own. One less problem to have to deal with."

Hamilton added, "The other thing is the need for sunlight to keep the clone viable. Yellow solar radiation could be problematic in that the clone might suddenly gain self-awareness and break free. I just don't know what a prolonged exposure to yellow solar radiation would do. However, using red solar radiation, the problem is solved. The clone never gains super strength and never comes out of its eternal sleep."

"Perfect," Luthor said, "this is turning out better than I could ever have hoped for. The dissection is set for tomorrow at noon - let's start earlier, say at 9AM. Its time to get things moving."

Luthor then asked, "Anything more, Hamilton?"

"No." Hamilton replied. "That's all I have," thinking to himself, Hamilton completed the sentence in his mind, "well, all you need to know - a second anomaly has turned up which you need not know about."

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**Next chapter: Forgive Me Father For I Have Sinned. The chapter title begs the question - if you don't believe in God or an afterlife, who is there to forgive you? **

******Readers - please leave a review. What you like, what you don't, what you'd like to see happen - how I can improve my writing. I know, lots of room for that. LOL. ********Reviews keep me motivated to continue writing stories about the Man of Steel. **

******Finally, thanks to all who have reviewed including guests and those who choose to send PMs rather than review. I like to give a personal reply to all reviews so guests - if you are so inclined, review under your registered name.**


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